Google Earth forcing Internet Explorer access - secure? :)

Hi! I was wondering what you guys thought about this, maybe I am misunderstanding and worreid about nothing, but basically I loved Google Earth at my work PC, and now at home it wouldn't work because here I had set my IE to stay offline. I only surf with Firefox, as I remember how, no matter how short a time I went online with IE, my old AVG would pick up at least a few tracking cookies straight after, and I just don't like it anyway.
But Google Earth seems to only work via Internet Explorer.
But does that traffic stay somewhere in the google domain? Is it therefore OK? Or do I need to do something to make the IE safer, or can I even fix it to go via Firefox isntead?
It runs slow and jumpy, too, but that could be to do with me running two firewalls...

Re: Google Earth forcing Internet Explorer access - secure? :)

<blockquote><hr>CatConfused wrote:
Hi! I was wondering what you guys thought about this, maybe I am misunderstanding and worreid about nothing, but basically I loved Google Earth at my work PC, and now at home it wouldn't work because here I had set my IE to stay offline. I only surf with Firefox, as I remember how, no matter how short a time I went online with IE, my old AVG would pick up at least a few tracking cookies straight after, and I just don't like it anyway.
But Google Earth seems to only work via Internet Explorer.
But does that traffic stay somewhere in the google domain? Is it therefore OK? Or do I need to do something to make the IE safer, or can I even fix it to go via Firefox isntead?
It runs slow and jumpy, too, but that could be to do with me running two firewalls...

Re: Google Earth forcing Internet Explorer access - secure? :)

Hi! Thanks very much for your answer!
I thought the possible decrease in performance referred to slower PC / Internet, not comprimised firewall effectiveness overall. :S
But... I went to disable the Windows' one and it was already disabled ZA must have done that. Also, I did set Windows Defender to autostart, but it never does. Again, I am beginning to &quot;blame&quot; ZoneAlarm. Figures, when something wants to auto-start and you want it to not then it just makes new lines in the msconfig tool, but when you try to set something to atuo-start it doesn't
The HP Health Checker thing auto-starts but when I tried to run it once it said it had never updated and needed to be allowed access, etc etc, so I guess it's inactive, too.
So... I guess I am only really running ZoneAlarm, despite what I thought. That makes me wonder why my PC has been running slower though, now I cannot blame two firewalls!
I did a full scan yesterday (5 hours!!) and it brought up nothing. So I guess for now perhaps Google Earth going via IE hasn't been so bad (yet? ).

I tried the plugin, but it still tries to connect to the service via Internet Explorer. I think that's really **bleep**y...

Re: Google Earth forcing Internet Explorer access - secure? :)

Reset the ZA database (you will lose your previous settings and configurations):
[*] Hold down the Ctrl and Shift keys together[*] Right click on the ZA icon near your clock[*] Choose 'Reset' from the box that comes up[*] Choose Yes on the Reset Settings dialog box[*] When prompted, choose OK to restart your system [*] Follow the on screen configuration prompts after reboot and set the new network found as Trusted not Internet

1. Go to Run and type in command and hit 'ok', and in the command then type in ipconfig /all then press the enter key. In the returned data list will be a line DNS and DHCP Servers with the IP address(s) listed out to the side. Make sure there is a space between the ipconfig and the /all, and the font is the same (no capitals).
2. In ZA on your machine on the Firewall, open the Zones tab, click Add and then select IP Address. Make sure the Zone is set to Trusted. Add the DNS IP(s) .
3. Click OK and Apply. Then do the same for the DHCP server.
4. The localhost (127.0.0.1) must be listed as Trusted.
5. The Generic Host Process (svchost.exe) as seen in the Zone Alarm's Program's list must have server rights for the Trusted Zone.
Plus it must have both Trusted and Internet Access.
6. The Trusted slider should be at the middle level.

Re: Google Earth forcing Internet Explorer access - secure? :)

Hey, thank you for your reply!
I'm afraid I don't quite understand. I reset the settings, but I don't understand about using the Trusted Zone? I've always had it on Internet Zone, as it said on the GUI only to use Trusted if I had to swap files with someone else on the network, and this is just a connection across a router to the Internet.
But it's the part after that I really don't understand :S
I wonder if I need to ask the guys in my IT team at work to explain to me how to do this....

Re: Google Earth forcing Internet Explorer access - secure? :)

I don't get any pop ups either... I set it to Auto-Learn, as I never make the rigth decisions on the Pop Ups, I tend to block everything, and then need to timeconsumingly unblock it as my internet access is gone as a result of that!
Also, is this to make the Internet run faster? Or to set it so it will work OK again?

Re: Google Earth forcing Internet Explorer access - secure? :)

Actually, now I am not sure anymore about the Windows Firewall. Under Security Center it says that there is a Firewall, but when I expand the item it says it is Zone Alarm firewall. So far, so good. When I click futher I see that the Windows Firewall is turned off, and Windows is not happy about it. OK, so this is fine, too.
Except, when I Ctrl &amp; Alt &amp; Del and go to Task Manager, then under Services I can see Windows Firewall (named MpvSvc).

Re: Google Earth forcing Internet Explorer access - secure? :)

Re: Google Earth forcing Internet Explorer access - secure? :)

Hey, thanks for your reply.
It seems to be off, and ZA firewall running instead, so that is cool.
I did notice a Spam Filter in the application log recently though. I ctrl+alt+del usually after startup to close off Media Tray (can't seem to get it to stop any other way, and it clogs up resources pointlessly, even if not much).
I checked the file location today, and was surprised to find it is in the Zone Alarm folder? It says it's the Microsoft Spam Filter on applications...
Anyway, in ZA I cannot switch the spam filter off... When I turn it to off and click out of the screen, and click back, it is back On.
Clicking Advanced does nothing...